Prognostic value of tripartite motif containing 29 expression in patients with gastric cancer following surgical resection

TRIM29 modulates proteins involved in PTEN/AKT/mTOR and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and suppresses the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma

Tripartite motif-containing 29 (TRIM29), also known as the ataxia telangiectasia group D-complementing (ATDC) gene, has been reported to play an oncogenic or tumor suppressive role in developing different tumors. So far, its expression and biological functions in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. We investigated TRIM29 expression pattern in human HCC samples using quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Relationships between TRIM29 expression level, clinical prognostic indicators, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards model. A series of in vitro experiments and a xenograft tumor model were conducted to detect the functions of TRIM29 in HCC cells. RNA sequencing, western blotting, and immunochemical staining were performed to assess the molecular regulation of TRIM29 in HCC. We found that the mRNA and protein levels of TRIM29 were significantly reduced in HCC samples, compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues, and were negatively correlated with poor differentiation of HCC tissues. Survival analysis confirmed that lower TRIM29 expression significantly correlated with shorter OS and DFS of HCC patients. TRIM29 overexpression remarkably inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and EMT in HCC cells, whereas knockdown of TRIM29 reversed these effects. Moreover, deactivation of the PTEN/AKT/mTOR and JAK2/STAT3 pathways might be involved in the tumor suppressive role of TRIM29 in HCC. Our findings indicate that TRIM29 in HCC exerts its tumor suppressive effects through inhibition of the PTEN/AKT/mTOR and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways and may be used as a potential biomarker for survival in patients with HCC.

LncRNA ELFN1-AS1 upregulates TRIM29 by suppressing miR-211-3p to promote gastric cancer progression

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) extracellular leucine rich repeat and fibronectin type III domain containing 1-antisense RNA 1 (ELFN1-AS1) has been found to be upregulated in various tumors. However, the biological functions of ELFN1-AS1 in gastric cancer (GC) are not entirely understood. In the present study, the expression levels of ELFN1-AS1, miR-211-3p, and TRIM29 are determined using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Subsequently, CCK8, EdU, and colony formation assays are performed to determine GC cell vitality. The migratory and invasive capabilities of GC cells are further evaluated using transwell invasion and cell scratch assays. Western blot analysis is performed to quantify the levels of proteins associated with GC cell apoptosis and epithelialmesenchymal transition (EMT). The competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) activity of ELFN1-AS1 on TRIM29 through miR-211-3p is confirmed by pull-down, RIP, and luciferase reporter assays. Our study proves that ELFN1-AS1 and TRIM29 are highly expressed in GC tissues. ELFN1-AS1 silencing inhibits GC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT, and induces cell apoptosis. Rescue experiments reveal that the oncogenicity of ELFN1-AS1 is modulated by acting as a sponge for miR-211-3p, thereby increasing the expression of the target gene of miR-211-3p, TRIM29. In summary, ELFN1-AS1 maintains GC cell tumorigenicity via the ELFN1-AS1/miR-211-3p/TRIM29 axis, indicating that this axis can be directed for GC treatment in the future.

TRIM29 in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Tripartite motif (TRIM) proteins play important roles in a wide range of cell physiological processes, such as signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, innate immunity, and programmed cell death. TRIM29 protein, encoded by the ATDC gene, belongs to the RING-less group of TRIM protein family members. It consists of four zinc finger motifs in a B-box domain and a coiled-coil domain, and makes use of the B-box domain as E3 ubiquitin ligase in place of the RING. TRIM29 was found to be involved in the formation of homodimers and heterodimers in relation to DNA binding; additional studies have also demonstrated its role in carcinogenesis, DNA damage signaling, and the suppression of radiosensitivity. Recently, we reported that TRIM29 interacts with keratins and FAM83H to regulate keratin distribution. Further, in cutaneous SCC, the expression of TRIM29 is silenced by DNA methylation, leading to the loss of TRIM29 and promotion of keratinocyte migration. This paper reviews the role of TRIM family proteins in malignant tumors, especially the role of TRIM29 in cutaneous SCC.

Clinical significance of TRIM29 expression in patients with gastric cancer

Aim

The present study aimed to evaluate the expression profile, prognostic value, and possible correlation of TRIM29 with β-catenin, Cyclin D, and Bcl2 in Iranian patients with GC.

Background

Tripartite Motif Containing 29 (TRIM29) has been reported to function as an oncogene or a tumor suppressor depending on the tumor type. This contextual function has created a controversial situation that needs to be fully delineated in various cancers. Although few studies have reported an elevated TRIM29 expression in gastric cancer (GC), its clinicopathological and prognostic values as well as possible molecular mechanisms are yet to be re-evaluated in different populations.

Methods

Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect TRIM29, β-catenin, Cyclin D, and Bcl-2 expression in 40 GC and their adjacent normal tissues. Patients were further stratified into high and low expression subgroups based on their TRIM29 expression levels. The association of TRIM29 expression level with β-catenin, Cyclin D, BCL2, some clinicopathological features, and patients' overall survival (OS) was assessed using appropriate statistical analyses.

Results

The results showed a significantly higher TRIM29 expression level in GC tissues compared with their corresponding normal tissues (fold change=2.94, p=0.003). Patients with high TRIM29 expression levels exhibited poorer OS (HR=1.25, 95% CI: 1.06-1.47, p=0.007). High expression of TRIM29 was also associated with increased levels of β-catenin, Cyclin D, and Bcl-2 genes expression.

Conclusion

Overexpression of TRIM29 is associated with poor prognosis in patients with GC and is probably mediated through β-catenin/Cyclin D/Bcl2 pathway and can be considered as a potential independent prognostic marker.

Roles of E3 ubiquitin ligases in gastric cancer carcinogenesis and their effects on cisplatin resistance

Although gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancers with high incidence and mortality rates, its pathogenesis is still not elucidated. GC carcinogenesis is complicated and involved in the activation of oncoproteins and inactivation of tumor suppressors. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is crucial for protein degradation and regulation of physiological and pathological processes. E3 ubiquitin ligases are pivotal enzymes in UPS, containing various subfamily proteins. Previous studies report that some E3 ligases, including SKP2, CUL1, and MDM2, act as oncoproteins in GC carcinogenesis. On the other hand, FBXW7, FBXL5, FBXO31, RNF43, and RNF180 exert as tumor suppressors in GC carcinogenesis. Moreover, E3 ligases modulate cell growth, cell apoptosis, and cell cycle; thus, it is complicated to confer cisplatin resistance/sensitivity in GC cells. The intrinsic and acquired cisplatin resistance limits its clinical application against GC. In this review, we explore oncogenic and tumor suppressive roles of E3 ligases in GC carcinogenesis and focus on the effects of E3 ligases on cisplatin resistance in GC cells, which will provide novel therapeutic targets for GC therapy, especially for cisplatin-resistant patients.

TRIM29 inhibits miR-873-5P biogenesis via CYTOR to upregulate fibronectin 1 and promotes invasion of papillary thyroid cancer cells

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common endocrine tumor with an increasing incidence, has a strong propensity for neck lymph node metastasis. Limited treatment options are available for patients with advanced or recurrent metastatic disease, resulting in a poor prognosis. Tripartite motif protein 29 (TRIM29) is dysregulated in various cancer and functions as oncogene or tumor suppressor in discrete cancers. In this study, we found that both TRIM29 and fibronectin 1 (FN1) were upregulated with positive correlation in PTC tissues. Neither overexpression nor downregulation of TRIM29 altered the proliferation of PTC cells significantly. Overexpression of TRIM29 significantly promotes, while knockdown of TRIM29 significantly decreases migration and invasion by regulating FN1 expression in PTC cells. In terms of mechanism, we found that TRIM29 altered the stability of FN1 mRNA via regulation of miR-873-5p expression. The current study also demonstrated that long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) CYTOR suppressed maturation of miR-873-5p via interaction with premiR-873, and TRIM29 decreased miR-873-5p via upregulation of CYTOR. This study suggests that involvement of TRIM29 in migration and invasion in PTC cells may reveal potential metastatic mechanism of PTC and represent a novel therapeutic target and strategy.

Tumor suppressor p53 cross-talks with TRIM family proteins

p53 is a key tumor suppressor. As a transcription factor, p53 accumulates in cells in response to various stress signals and selectively transcribes its target genes to regulate a wide variety of cellular stress responses to exert its function in tumor suppression. In addition to tumor suppression, p53 is also involved in many other physiological and pathological processes, e.g. anti-infection, immune response, development, reproduction, neurodegeneration and aging. To maintain its proper function, p53 is under tight and delicate regulation through different mechanisms, particularly the posttranslational modifications. The tripartite motif (TRIM) family proteins are a large group of proteins characterized by the RING, B-Box and coiled-coil (RBCC) domains at the N-terminus. TRIM proteins play important roles in regulation of many fundamental biological processes, including cell proliferation and death, DNA repair, transcription, and immune response. Alterations of TRIM proteins have been linked to many diseases including cancer, infectious diseases, developmental disorders, and neurodegeneration. Interestingly, recent studies have revealed that many TRIM proteins are involved in the regulation of p53, and at the same time, many TRIM proteins are also regulated by p53. Here, we review the cross-talk between p53 and TRIM proteins, and its impact upon cellular biological processes as well as cancer and other diseases.

TRIM29 mediates lung squamous cell carcinoma cell metastasis by regulating autophagic degradation of E-cadherin

Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is the most common histological type of primary lung cancer. In this study, we had tested the biological role of TRIM29 in LSCC cells. TRIM29 abundance, the relationships between TRIM29 and E-cadherin and autophagy degradation related proteins in clinical tissues and six cell lines were studied with quantitative real-time PCR test (qRT-PCR) and western blot. TRIM29 overexpression treated HTB-182 cells and knockdown treated NCL-H1915 cells was used for studying cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion, and the expression of epithelial mesenchymal transformation (EMT) associated biomarkers. The relationships between TRIM29 and BECN1 were investigated with western blot. TRIM29 was profoundly overexpressed in LSCC tissues and cells compared with human normal bronchial epithelial cells (HNBE). High TRIM29 expression was closely related to overall survival (OS). TRIM29 overexpression and knockdown affected LSCC activity and the expression of EMT associated biomarkers. TRIM29 can regulate the degradation of E-cadherin and autophagy of LSCC through BECN1 gene, and promote autophagy in HTB-182 and NCL-H1915 cells. Our results revealed that TRIM29 could promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of LSCC via E-cadherin autophagy degradation. The results are useful for further study in LSCC.